Council to decide on rules for fluke, sea bass seasons

The Marine Fisheries Council will make decisions on regulations for the upcoming fluke and sea bass seasons at their meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Toms River Township Municipal Building at 33 Washington St.

Five alternatives for fluke have been provided, most of which provide a longer season than last year’s May 7 to Sept. 25. By staying at 18 inches and eight fluke, we could have a spring to fall season lasting as long as to Oct. 28. Opting for a 17.5-inch minimum would drop the season to just May 5 to Sept. 28 with five fish — and with a 17-inch minimum the season would be only from May 29 to Sept. 1 with three fish.

Rich Johnson, of the Fishing Line, reports the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is favoring four fluke at a 19½-inch minimum for their waters in order to get a season from May 3 to Sept. 30. Dropping back to 19 inches would considerably shorten that season.

Check my blog entry at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for all the New Jersey summer flounder and sea bass alternatives, as well as Mid-Atlantic Council quotas on bluefish that must be commented upon by Thursday. The Council doesn’t appear to be aware of how poor last year’s bluefishing was in New York/New Jersey Bight, and supports a transfer of recreational quota to commercial interests.

In the case of sea bass, we have only two options, with B providing a few more days (210) of a split season running May 19 to Oct. 14 and resuming from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 with the same 25 sea bass at a 12.5-inch minimum as last year. The winter season would also remain open from Jan.1 to Feb. 28, 2013, with a 15-fish bag, under proposed federal waters regulations.

The Marine Fisheries Council will make decisions on regulations for the upcoming fluke and sea bass seasons at their meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Toms River Township Municipal Building at 33 Washington St.

Five alternatives for fluke have been provided, most of which provide a longer season than last year’s May 7 to Sept. 25. By staying at 18 inches and eight fluke, we could have a spring to fall season lasting as long as to Oct. 28. Opting for a 17.5-inch minimum would drop the season to just May 5 to Sept. 28 with five fish — and with a 17-inch minimum the season would be only from May 29 to Sept. 1 with three fish.

Rich Johnson, of the Fishing Line, reports the New York Department of Environmental Conservation is favoring four fluke at a 19½-inch minimum for their waters in order to get a season from May 3 to Sept. 30. Dropping back to 19 inches would considerably shorten that season.

Check out my blog entry at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for all the New Jersey summer flounder and sea bass alternatives, as well as Mid-Atlantic Council quotas on bluefish that must be commented upon by Thursday. The Council doesn’t appear to be aware of how poor last year’s bluefishing was in New York/New Jersey Bight, and supports a transfer of recreational quota to commercial interests.

In the case of sea bass, we have only two options, with B providing a few more days (210) of a split season running May 19 to Oct. 14 and resuming from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 with the same 25 sea bass at a 12.5-inch minimum as last year. The winter season would also remain open from Jan.1 to Feb. 28, 2013, with a 15-fish bag, under proposed federal waters regulations.